Content Website Category Page Layout Guideline

Help Visitors Explore More of Your Best Content

Your category landing page is more than just a content archive, it’s a powerful tool to keep your visitors engaged, help them find what interests them, and encourage them to consume more of your work. 

The job of this page is to make a connection between the visitor and their interests. When you accomplish this your website visitors will stay on your website longer and engage with more content. Whether you're publishing written blogs, videos, podcasts, or a mix of all three, you need to connect your audience to the right content quickly.

Let’s break down how to structure a high-performing blog and content website category landing page.

What is a Category Page

A category page is a web page that groups and displays all related pieces of content under a specific topic or theme. Think of it as a neatly organized shelf in your website’s library. When a visitor clicks on a category like “Podcast Episodes”, “Social Media Tips”, or “Healthy Recipes”, they’ll see blog posts, videos, or podcasts you’ve published under that topic, all in one place. When you upload new posts, you’ll set up a clear category structure and choose which pieces belong under each category. 

A well-structured category page makes it easy for your audience to browse, discover, and dive deeper into the subjects they care about most. As an added bonus it helps search engines understand and rank your site’s content more effectively too.

Built-in Features vs Customized Experience

You have options when it comes to creating your category web pages. You can take a more simplistic route or fully customize the experience for your website visitors. Let’s take a look at your options:

Option 1: Your Platform’s Built-in Category Pages

If you are using an all-in-one platform (WIX, Squarespace, etc.) then they will have an automatic category page option when you add a blog to your website. For Wordpress this often comes with your blog plugins and widgets. This is the simplest option as it will automatically add new posts to the Category Pages. How these work:

• When you add a new post you will select a Category for each one (these are categories you will create). 

• The posts will automatically show up under the selected category and the all-posts page. 

• These platforms will allow you to customize some features on the category pages including how the posts will look when displayed. 

The Benefits: It’s easier and a great place to start for those who are new to creating and managing a website. When you assign a category to a post, it will automatically show up on the page. 

The Drawbacks: All-in-one platforms, and some blog widgets, are limiting on how much you can customize the look and feel of the category pages.

Option 2: Fully Customized Category Pages 

If you are looking for a more tailored browsing experience for your online visitors you can definitely build it. This option will take more time in building out the pages and also maintaining them. But it’s all about creating pages with the features you want in order to create a customized user experience. How these pages work:

• Fully build out category pages as you would any other landing page on your website

• Manually add cards and links for your new blog posts, vlog posts, podcasts and content pieces.

• Be very intentional with how you organize your content and create full customer journeys and user flows throughout these pages.

• The design is up to you - add a featured section, group different pieces of content together on the page, the skies the limit. 

The Benefits: A fully customized experience for your users that gives you full control over how the content is displayed.

The Drawbacks: More time is needed to fully organize all of your content on your website pages and also to maintain the pages as you add additional content to your site. 

So which option is best for you?

Start by asking yourself which option you are most comfortable in building. If this is your first website or you do not consider yourself very website savvy then start with Option 1. If you enjoy building out website pages and want to or need to create a customized experience for your visitors then explore Option 2. 

If you go with option 2 just remember that if you are using a platform such as WIX or Squarespace that the built-in category pages will still be on your site. So ensure that you do design and organize these pages accordingly for when your users land on them.

You can see examples of both options when you scroll down this article.

How to Design a High-Impact Blog Category Landing Page

You want to have customized category pages no matter if you are going with the built in blog options or building your own. These pages serve as the gateways to your content topics, so let’s deepen the connection with our audience. Some built-in platform features can be limiting, but there are always ways to customize and enhance your category landing pages.

We’ll walk through the key design elements so you can better understand what’s possible and how to make the most of your setup. Start simple, you can always build from there. Use this as a guide for what can be done, and expand your design as your site evolves.

Let’s take a look at how you can add customization to these pages to enhance the experience for your website visitors. 

1. Start With a Clear Page Title and Optionally, a Brief Intro

Utilize this space to let browsers know what category page they are on. This should match your brand and the design of your full site. Your options here:

• Title of the page with a stylized background or image background

• Title of the page with a brief intro copy of what to expect. The intro copy should be brief, it’s just meant to set the stage and tie in the visitor to the content. 

Note for mixed-media: If your content type varies (e.g., articles, videos, and audio), consider mentioning this briefly in the intro copy so visitors know what to expect.

For Option 1: You will be able to customize how your category title displays. Plus most platforms will give you the option to add an image and description for each category page. Some platforms will allow you to further customize how this section looks.

2. Feature Your Top Content (Optional Hero Section)

A featured section is the perfect spot to highlight standout content you want visitors to see first. This could be a high-traffic blog post, a must-watch video, or your most downloaded podcast episode. This is very helpful on pages with a wide range of content, giving your visitors a clear starting point to keep them engaged.

Feature section best practices:

• Choose 1 - 3 pieces of content

• Choose a format that best displays this content, from a single spotlight post to a horizontal slider showcasing multiple posts. 

• Use language that guides the customer such as “Start Here” “Our Most Popular Posts”

Note: If you have a multi-media content website, consider using a mix of formats here (1 blog, 1 video, 1 podcast) in order to demonstrate to visitors what types of content they will find on your site.

Feature it: Take a look at one of your content categories. Are there must-read articles or powerful videos you feel should be at the top of the list? Pick your best and most popular content pieces, or the posts you feel that your audience should start with. Go one step further and look at the content pieces that, after consuming, drove your visitors to spend time on another piece of content.

3. Use Clean, Organized Content Grids

This is the heart of your content, and your layout design matters. The content you have selected for this category should display here. Use clean grid, collage or stacked layouts so your audience can scan the posts quickly in order to find the topics that interest them. 

Option 1: Built-in Category Pages (WIX, Squarespace, Shopify, or similar)

Your site will give you a few different options on how to display a teaser for each post. Typically these will be clean grid options or stacked tiles. 

Option 2: Customize Category Pages

You will have a variety of options on how to display your content tiles. I highly recommend selecting design and layout options that keep it clean and are responsive across devices. Sections that are designed to have a grid, collage or stacked tiles work amazingly. 

You can either build out a main section with the majority of the tiles, mimicking what built-in category pages do, or you can choose to group content and utilize different content block styles throughout the page. 

Add Layers to Your Design

Take your category pages a step further by creating sections with varied layout designs. This approach helps you organize your content into clear groupings and adds visual cues that guide users through your site naturally. Just remember, no matter how creative you get, keep it easy to browse and effortless to use.

Here are some examples of how you can sort your content into different groupings:

• Newest content first

• Subcategories or tags

• Series or playlists (for podcasts, tutorials and vlogs) 

• Content formats (written, video, audio)

Layout and Design Tips:

• Desktop: 1–4 column grid. Desktop layouts give you more flexibility, from full-width single-column strips to rows with multiple content cards. Choose a format that aligns with your brand style and highlights your images and titles effectively. The goal is to make your content visually appealing and easy to browse at a glance.

• Mobile: 1 column stack grid. This go-to choice is the perfect size for any mobile device. It’s important to showcase your most important content towards the top or allow for filter options so your visitors can find what they most want to consume.

• Utilize your whitespace. Add spacing, padding and dividers between, above and below to give your content a clean aesthetic and to prevent visual overload. 

• Your images are a key element. Ensure your images look good and are not cut off by the design of your content cards. You can select a thumbnail image specifically for your post tiles. If you’re placing text over your images, choose visuals that provide strong contrast and make your text easy to read.

• Display options: Most blog category grid blocks let you customize what details are shown, like titles, dates, descriptions, or author names. Choose the elements that matter most to your audience. This space is valuable real estate, so keep it clean and focused. Often, less is more.

• Consistency: Ensure your site looks professional and on brand by keeping a consistent look and feel throughout your site. This is extremely important for those who are customizing your pages in Option 2. Create a website style guide with the category design blocks you want to use. Keep these styles consistent across all of your category pages. 

Test them out: Play around with this area in your website builder. Test out each option from the point of view of your audience. Which design layout looks best to you? Which option helps your audiences find content quickly and easily?

4. Categories and Filters

Categories and filters help support your website goals by keeping visitors engaged, exploring more pages, and staying on your site longer. Build the tools that make it easier for users to navigate by letting them filter and sort your content so they can quickly find the information they’re most interested in.

Category Links

These are typically displayed at the top of your dynamic content blog section. It will have the category you are on highlighted and then display the other categories next to them. If you are using an all-in-one platform this automatically displays the categories you have chosen for your blog. Depending on the amount of content you have, 3-6 categories is usually the sweet spot.

If you are designing customized category pages then make sure you add in easy navigation so your audience base can switch to a new category if they desire. 

Organize your content: This is a great time to determine the organization of  your content and what categories you want to have on your site. To help you out, check out the Website Content Organization Guideline.

Filters and Tags

Filters and tags assist your viewers to sort through and narrow down their content selections on your site. Some websites have these built in, and some you will have to add these components to your site. These can be very useful if your site has a large amount of content or you offer a paid section of your site. 

Filter search options can include:

• Content type (Articles / Videos / Podcasts)

• Topic tags (e.g., “Email Marketing,” “Beginner Tips,” “Case Studies”)

• Popularity or newest

Sort it out: Determine if your audience will have the need to filter your content. If so, list all of the sorting tags they would find useful to include in your filters.

5. Choose Thumbnail Images and Text Options That Capture Clicks

The images you use for your posts that are displayed on the category landing page are essential for driving engagement. Images should add meaning to your posts. They’re the first thing your audience sees, and they need to instantly capture attention. If they don’t spark interest or connection, visitors are likely to scroll past without even reading the content title. 

Choose images that visually communicate the topic, tone, or value of your content. This simple step can dramatically increase clicks and keep your audience exploring.

Thumbnail Images Best Practices:

• Use high-resolution, high-quality images 

• Ensure their aspect ratios work on desktop, tablet and mobile. 

• Use well-composed images with a clear focal point: Make sure the subject of your image is centered and fits within the layout dimensions. Avoid images where key elements get cropped as your visuals should feel intentional, not accidental.

• Don’t add text to your image. If you want the title of your content to display on the image, then select the text overlay option. 

• Match your brand’s tone (polished, fun, moody, minimalist, etc.). Your images should have a consistent look and feel to them. So pick a style that ensures they match your website’s esthetics.

For Podcasts: Consider using custom graphics or clean headshots with overlay titles. Take a look at your favorite podcasts to see what the latest trends are. Your images can help you convey topics, podcast series or just your overall branding. 

For Videos: A still from the video or a branded title card works best. Even though it is easy, don’t just go with the auto generated option. You’ve spent a lot of time on your video content, choose the still that makes your content stand out. 

Thumbnail Images Layout

Ok, so the first part I’m sure you have down - use high-quality images that are related to your content. Easy, right? Yes, that part is, but then your website layout options want to throw in another layer of difficulty. 

The sizing for your thumbnail images are going to be the same if you are using an all-in-one platform, and if you are choosing to fully customize your site then you might have a few different sizes. This means that all of your selected images need to work in this space. 

In theory this sounds easy enough, but once you start to layout your images onto these pages, then you begin to feel the pain. Items are cut off, they don’t fit the space provided, or they are just too busy for the space. So what’s the best way to manage this process? Let’s look at some clear options:

• Test out the different tile layout options with your desired thumbnail images. Determine which layouts work best with your images. 

• Choose images that fit the thumbnail size. Honestly this might be the easiest route to take. Select images and focal points that fit with your layout design. This way you ensure that images are not getting cut off in odd ways. 

• Add a focal point. If your site gives you this option, add a focal point to your image. This will follow the image through the breakpoints, ensuring that this is centered in the space across mobile, tablet and desktop. 

• Ensure mobile and desktop compatibility. Don’t fall victim to having your images work on desktop, but be completely skewed on mobile. 

I highly recommend testing this out and use it to inform your image selection. This will ease the pain points of choosing thumbnail images, and after a while you will know right away what images will and will not work in your layout design. 

To Overlay Text or Not To Overlay Text

Let’s talk about text display options in relation to your images for a moment. This is a big consideration that will impact not only your title and subtitle text formats, but your image selection as well. (Another layer, I know, I know...)

For many this can become a pain point that they never knew to even consider. So let me save you some website anxiety. 

When you are testing out your post tile layouts for your images, include testing for how you want your text to display. You will have options for text overlay (text on top of the images) or text below or besides the images. 

Text Overlay

This is a great design choice when you want your post titles to really stand out. The image colors will draw people’s eyes in and the attention goes to the text. Here are some best practices and things to watch out for when you wish to overlay text:

• The image is complementary, not the star of the show. It’s the background to your text. Ensure that it is not overly busy and doesn’t distract the reader from reading your title.

• Text needs to be legible. If you can’t read your text clearly then you need to select a different image or add a filter. If your text color is white, then images that have too much white or light colors may wash out your title. 

• Add on-brand filters to your images. Filters will alter the color of your images and aid in text legibility. This allows you more freedom in selecting images for your thumbnails. Ensure that you use the same style of filters on each photo. This can enhance your on-brand look by giving your images a consistent look and feel. 

No Text Overlay

When you want your images to stand out, or you don’t want to have to deal with the process above, then choose one of the options that doesn’t overlay your text over the images. With this option your images have the opportunity to stand out more, so choose ones that give a strong visual cue or entice readers towards your content.

6. Smart Internal Linking and Suggested Content

The goals of content forward websites are to increase your visitors’ time on your site and their engagement with your content. Create an internal linking and suggested content system in order to expand your visitors' customer journey through your site. 

At the bottom of your category page, or in sections that use filters or tags, suggest similar content visitors might enjoy. This can include:

• “You might also like” sections

• “Next in the Series” prompts

• Related tags or categories

This keeps readers or viewers in your content funnel longer and boosts engagement.

7. Don’t Forget Mobile Optimization

For most content websites, mobile traffic makes up the majority of visitors, especially if they are discovering your site for the first time. You will want to check your website’s analytics to see what type of devices your visitors are using. If you rely heavily on social media, target younger demographics, or focus on leisure-oriented content (rather than business-to-business), it’s important to approach your content optimization with a mobile-first mindset.

Here are some mobile optimization best practices:

• Use 1-column layout for easier scrolling

• Ensure your images stand out and are formatted correctly on mobile. There’s nothing worse than your image looking amazing on desktop, but cutting off the key focal point on mobile. 

• For sites with large amounts of content, include filters or similar sorting mechanisms. Ensure that they are collapsible or slide out of view so they do not interfere with your content cards visibility.

• Format text so it doesn’t overwhelm your content cards. Consider using a preview text option that shows the first part or adjust the size so it is legible and design friendly. 

• Include sticky navigation or back-to-top buttons to help with your user experience (UX)

Once you know which devices your audience is coming from then organize your site to fit their browsing preferences. 

8. Add an Email Capture Callout (Optional)

Keep your visitors coming back for more, while delivering them curated content to fit their needs. Capture these engaged users with a well-placed newsletter sign-up. 

Consider these placements:

• At the bottom of the category page

• After featured or top-performing content

• In the footer - I recommend having this here in addition to other placements on the site. 

Use a clear incentive: “Get our best tips every week,” “New episodes straight to your inbox,” or “Free resources for subscribers.” Get creative with your language. I love it when brands are playful with their newsletter call-to-action.

Option 1 Example: Utilizing your blog's built in Category Features

Option 2 Example: Customized Category Page

Build a Category Page That Works for You and Your Audience

Your blog category landing page should be simple, scannable, and helpful. Give visitors the structure they need to explore, the visuals that draw them in, and content that keeps them engaged and coming back.

Follow these steps above and your blog, podcast, or video series (or all three!) will be set up for success so you achieve both your users’ and your website’s goals.

Up Next:

Keep the momentum going and explore your next Guideline:

• Website Content Organization Guideline: Structure Your Site for SEO and Engagement

• Blog Post Layout Guideline: Build Posts That Engage & Convert